Page 34 of The Highlander's Princess Bride
“Confound it, Nick. I told you I’m not a baby,” Kade said, half laughing, half protesting.
“Of course not. But we don’t want you falling and knocking yourself out on your first day home.” The earl glanced at Victoria. “Miss Knight could hardly teach you if you had a cracked skull, could she?”
“And score one for Arnprior,” Alec murmured in Victoria’s ear.
She shot her cousin an irate glance. Still, she couldn’t help but admire his lordship’s ruthless tactics.
“I suppose you’re right,” Kade said. “Having my brains splattered all over the hall could be a problem. And Taffy certainly wouldn’t approve of the mess.”
“Good Lord, how appalling,” the earl said as he headed toward the stone staircase. “I really don’t understand why I agreed to let you come home.”
“Because you missed me?” Kade asked.
“That must be it.” Arnprior paused at the bottom of the steps and glanced at Braden. “Coming, lad? You probably need a rest too.”
Braden shook his head. “I’d like to have a quick chat with you and Royal first. Just to catch you up on the report from Kade’s physician.” He glanced at Victoria. “You as well, Miss Knight.”
Why would Braden wish to speak to her? And she certainly had no desire to further insert herself into the affairs of the family. “I don’t think—” she started.
“If you don’t mind,” Braden said.
She frowned, but then was caught short by the distraught look that momentarily flashed across the young man’s intelligent features.
“I think you’d better do it, lass,” Alec murmured.
Surprised, she glanced up at him. Alec had clearly picked up on the change in Braden’s demeanor. Royal also looked disturbed, directing a sharp, questioning look at Arnprior.
The earl, however, simply gave a nod and started up the stairs. “Very well. I’ll get Kade stowed away and then meet you in the library.”
“You don’t need to stow me away like a piece of old luggage,” Kade said in a suddenly sharp tone. “And Braden’s making a big fuss about nothing. I’m perfectly fine, no matter what the doctor said.”
“Lad, if I can’t fuss over you, then who can?” the earl said in a reasonable tone of voice.
The boy looked mutinous for a few seconds, but then he sighed. “No one, I suppose.” He rested his head on Arnprior’s broad shoulder, as if suddenly overcome with weariness.
As Victoria watched the earl carry his brother up the stairs, she had a sinking feeling that something was wrong, very wrong. It just might not be so easy for her to escape Kinglas, after all.
Chapter Eight
“I’m fine,” Kade insisted as Nick helped him climb into the high, four-poster bed. “Now that I’m here at Kinglas, I’ll be right as a trivet in no time.” He glanced around the warm, cozy bedroom, blinking hard as he took in his books, old toys, and musical instruments.
Kade’s erratic emotions had convinced Nick that something was wrong—something worse than his little brother’s recent illness. There had been tears as well as relief on the lad’s face when Nick bent down to greet him. That had startled him, since Kade was a child who rarely cried. He also had the distinct sense that Kade was hiding something from him, which was entirely out of character. Nick had always been more of a father than a brother to his younger siblings, and the lad especially confided in him.
“I’m supposed to worry about you, remember?” Nick said as he tucked him in. “And you were quite ill, brat. What the devil were you about scaring us all like that?”
His brother wrinkled his nose. “I didn’t much like it, either.”
During the worst of the fever, Nick had feared for Kade’s life. It was now all too evident that his brother was not up to the rigors of attending school, so he would need private tutoring until he recovered his health and was ready to go to university.
“And Ihatenot being able to play my music,” the boy added. “Bad enough I couldn’t practice my violin at school, but then the physician gave Braden strict instructions that I was not to play until I was recovered. He said it was too exhausting, which is a lot of old rubbish.”
Nick frowned. “Why couldn’t you practice at school? That’s why I sent you there in the first place—for the musical instruction.”
Kade’s gaze dropped to his lap as he fidgeted with the bedcovers. “Oh, I meant I couldn’t play as much as I wanted to. But of course the music teachers were very good.” He looked up, again giving Nick that wobbly, heartbreaking smile. “As they should be, since I know you paid them an awful lot.”
Nick forced a lighter tone, even though tension gripped his insides. “That’s why I hired a governess, since it’s bound to be cheaper than school. You and your brothers will drive me to the poorhouse one of these days.”
“Poor Nick, we’re an awful burden, aren’t we?” Kade said with a little grimace.
